Alan F. Horn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Alan Frederick Horn (1943-02-28)February 28, 1943 (age 82) New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Union College Harvard University |
| Occupation | Film executive |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Employer(s) | Warner Bros. (1999–2012; 2022–present) Walt Disney Studios (2012–2021) |
| Title | Chairman, Chief Creative Officer |
| Spouse | Cindy Harrell |
| Children | 2, includingCody |
Alan Frederick Horn (born February 28, 1943) is an American entertainment industry executive.[1] Horn became president andCOO ofWarner Bros. from 1999 to 2012. Horn next served as the chairman ofWalt Disney Studios from 2012 to 2020.[2] During his tenure at Disney, Horn also served as thechief creative officer from 2019 to 2021.[3][4] Horn agreed to depart from Disney, effective December 31, 2021.[3]
In July 2022, Horn rejoined Warner Bros., having assumed a new position as a consultant withWarner Bros. Discovery.[5]
Horn was raised onLong Island, New York, inRiverhead.[6][7][8] He graduated fromUnion College in Schenectady, New York, in 1964. In 1971, he received an MBA fromHarvard Business School.[9][10] He was a captain in theUnited States Air Force.[11]
Horn currently lives in theEast Gate Bel Air section ofLos Angeles,California,[12] with his wife, Cindy Harrell, a former model.[13][14] They have two daughters, actressCody, and Cassidy.
Horn worked atNorman Lear's television production companies,Tandem Productions andEmbassy Communications, the latter of which he was chairman before becoming president of20th Century Fox in October 1986 soon after it was acquired byRupert Murdoch.[15] He was one of the founders ofCastle Rock Entertainment in 1987.[16] There, he oversaw films includingA Few Good Men (1992),The Green Mile (1999),When Harry Met Sally (1989), and the TV sitcomSeinfeld (1989–1998).[11]
Horn became president and COO ofWarner Bros. in 1999, where he ran the studio in partnership with chairman and CEOBarry Meyer for 12 years. Under Horn's leadership, Warner Bros. had many hits, including theHarry Potter series (2001–2011) andChristopher Nolan'sThe Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012). He was also the executive producer on all three films inThe Hobbit Trilogy.[11] At age 68, Horn was forced to retire as president and COO of Warner Bros., at the behest of Time Warner Chairman and CEOJeffrey Bewkes who wanted to groom younger talent to take over at the studio, with Meyer relinquishing his role as studio CEO in March 2013 to be succeeded byKevin Tsujihara.
In 2012, at the urging ofThe Walt Disney Company chairman and CEOBob Iger, Horn was lured out of retirement to become the chairman of Walt Disney Studios, replacingRich Ross who had been dismissed from the position after having conflicts withPixar executives. Horn established a successful working relationship with Pixar,Marvel Studios,Lucasfilm, and20th Century Studios which operated with great autonomy under Disney's overall ownership, while also overseeing strong box office releases fromWalt Disney Pictures andWalt Disney Animation Studios.[17]
In 2017, he said of his past professional success:[18]
I have this ... theory that whoever is working in a job deserves to stay ... unless they prove that they don't deserve to be in the job.
On May 1, 2019, Horn was given the added title of chief creative officer (CCO) of Walt Disney Studios.[4] In December 2020, it was announced that effective January 1, 2021, Alan Bergman would become the new chairman of the Walt Disney Studios while Horn would remain as the studios' chief creative officer.[2]
In October 2021, it was announced that Horn would be retiring for a second time at the end of the year, and his position would likely not be filled.[19]
In July 2022, it was reported that Horn would assume a new position withWarner Bros. Discovery. Starting August 1, 2022, Horn began serving as a business consultant during its transitionary period following the acquisition ofWarnerMedia byDiscovery, Inc.[5]
